Man, 76, shoots burglar in Everett

A burglar was shot early Thursday by a worker at an Everett business, and police say he’ll be booked into Snohomish County Jail once he’s released from the hospital.

The incident happened shortly after 9:15 a.m. in the 1800 block of Colby Avenue. Police received a call from an employee holding the suspect at gunpoint inside the business.

“When officers arrived they were told the suspect escaped after a verbal altercation and when the suspect threw office equipment at the employee,” Everett police spokesman Aaron Snell said in a statement. “The employee fired one shot at the suspect, striking him in the leg.

“Officers contained the area and a police K-9 search was performed. The wounded suspect was found hiding in a backyard in the same block.”

The suspect, a 30-year-old Everett man, was arrested and taken to the Colby campus of Providence Medical Center for treatment. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The 76-year-old employee who shot him had minor injuries from the office equipment thrown at him.

The case is similar to an April 14, 2011, case where two burglars were confronted by an employee at Sharps Outdoor Power Equipment in Georgetown, which had been the target of six prior burglaries.

The employee shot one of the suspects with his legally owned .357 Magnum revolver and held the other at gunpoint until police arrived. The employee was not charged for shooting the burglar, James Stapleton. Read more about that case here.